ROGER FEDERER has played down being targeted with an online death threat, but
the presence of security staff around the world No1 shows that his
preparations for the Shanghai Masters have been anything but routine.

A blogger known as Blue Cat Polytheistic Religion Founder 07 last month posted
a message that said: “On October 6, I plan to assassinate Federer for the
purpose of tennis extermination.” It was accompanied on the baidu.com
website by a gruesome image showing the Swiss player decapitated and on his
knees on a tennis court.

After Chinese authorities said they would increase security, Federer said:
“Obviously maybe it’s a little bit of a distraction, there’s no doubt about
it. But you have to be aware of what’s happening around you. But that
is the case anyway anywhere I go today with my fame and all that stuff."